Medusa

"Medusa"

Carrara Marble & Pigment

2016

60x35x40cm / 25x14x16"

Medusa was a beautiful maiden and a priest of Athena, and henceforth devoted her life to celibacy. However she was raped by Poseidon inside Athena’s temple, which enraged the Goddess. As revenge she transformed the wonderful young woman into a horrendous monster, whose most famous attributes were her snakes’ hairs and eyes that turned to stone people who looked at it. Medusa thus became the first and most famous victim of Rape Culture in Western Civilization. She has since been rendered as a terrible monster in all visual arts, to be dreaded by people.

I am revisiting the myth to denunciate Rape Culture and Victim Blaming, which are still very present today and are both fuel and consequence of the lack of gender equality. My Medusa is empowered in her dreaded, imposed monster role. She laughs at the face of her executioners and at society which once celebrated her beauty then blamed her for possessing it. She is aware of her strengths and powers.